Applications

Aquaculture and fisheries support

Mussel culture has been introduced recently in Belgian waters on an experimental basis with a view to future expansion and commercialisation. During this experimental stage scientists of the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO) of the Flemish government are investigating how mussel yield at different offshore locations can be related to environmental factors. One factor thought to be relevant is the availability of food for mussel growth, which may be related to chlorophyll a concentration. BELCOLOUR-2 provided time series information derived from satellite chlorophyll data. This is being used to analyse mussel yields for the experimental sites. The relationship between chlorophyll a and mussel yield could be complex because it is not clear whether the high biomass blooms of Phaeocystis globosa are beneficial (palatable) or detrimental to mussel culture.